Comparison of phosphatidylcholine purified from soybean and marine fish roe in the diet of postlarval Penaeus vannamei Boone

The effects of adding two different types of phosphatidylcholine (PC) (purified from soybean lecithin, SPC, or marine fish roe, MPC) on growth, survival and osmotic stress resistance as well as lipid and fatty acid composition of postlarval Penaeus vannamei was determined. PC was added at a level of 1.5% in a semi-purified diet containing similar levels of essential fatty acids (EFA). A PC-free diet served as the control treatment. The supplementation of 1.5% SPC significantly improved growth and reduced sensitivity to osmotic stress. P. vannamei-fed MPC showed inferior growth compared to those fed SPC, but yielded better growth and survival than the PC-deprived shrimp. The addition of any of the PC types resulted in a significant increase in whole body lipid content compared to PC-deprived shrimp. The increase in the whole body lipid content was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of triacylglycerol (TAG) and PC, and a decrease in free sterol (FS). P. vannamei showed an increase in the proportions of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and linoleic acid (LA) at the expense of 16:0, whereas eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was not changed due to SPC supplementation. A similar fatty acid profile was found in shrimp fed either MPC or SPC. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.